10 classic car beauties to watch at auction

JayRamey

RM Auctions

RM Auctions’ Arizona sale includes this Bugatti and lots of rare Porsches.

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RM Auctions’ annual Arizona sale, set for Thursday and Friday, Jan. 15 and 16, is by no means the largest auction in terms of volume, but its selection is an excellent indicator of just where the market is headed. The annual Arizona in January auction sets the tone for the rest of the year, and RM’s offerings have always included a large number of well known collector models. Last January RM’s Arizona sale saw $45.5 million in cars change hands with an 85% sell-through rate with a total of 126 lots offered. The average transaction hovered at just under half a million dollars, with the top sale being a long-wheelbase 1958 Ferrari California Spider that changed hands for $8.8 million with commission — it actually turned out to be the most valuable car in Arizona auction week history. The RM Auction returns to the Biltmore Resort & Spa which will also serve as the venue for the Arizona Concours d’Elegance, a new addition to the concours circuit. Here are 10 cars to watch, some of which may set model records.

RM Auctions

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1970 Nissan Skyline 2000GT-R 'Hakosuka'

Japanese classic cars are breaking into the mainstream, and we’re starting to see gems that have previously stayed out of North America make their way here as collector interest in them has grown. One such classic that’ll cross the block in Arizona next month is a 1970 Nissan Skyline 2000GT-R ‘Hakosuka,’ a rare four-door variant of the 1968-generation Skyline. Powered by a race-derived S20 inline-six with dual overhead camshafts and a cross-flow head with four valves per cylinder, the ‘Hakosuka’ produced 160 hp and accumulated many racing wins. Just 832 GT-R sedan were made, and this particular example with 58,200 kilometers on the clock made its way into the States just recently. Stated to be correct and complete throughout, this rare classic Skyline sedan will be offered at no reserve.

RM Auctions

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1984 Ferrari 288 GTO

Originally designed for the FIA Group B rally circuit (like everything nice), the Ferrari 288 GTO was a homologation special that missed its original calling just like the Porsche 959 when Group B was canceled, but it went into production with a 2.8-liter V8 with twin IHI turbochargers producing 400 hp and 366 lb-ft of torque. Its 189-mph top speed made it the fastest road car ever produced when it made its debut, and its 0 to 60 sprint time of 4.8 seconds was simply astounding. Just like Porsche with its 959, the 288 GTO was a technological terror that was well ahead of its time, and examples of this supercar are still exceedingly rare on this side of the pond. RM Auctions will offer this 1984 example that was originally supplied to Japan and has since accumulated just 9,500 kilometers.

RM Auctions

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1965 Porsche 904 Carrera GTS

Many enduring supercars were built for racing homologation, and one of the most memorable is the Porsche 904 Carrera GTS. Meant for FIA’s Group 3 GT racing, the 904 made its debut with a lightweight fiberglass body sitting atop a boxed steel ladder tubing frame, with a 2.0-liter flat-six providing the power. Introduced in 1964, the 904 would go on to collect wins at Spa, Sebring, and Nurburgring and a number of other iconic circuits. RM plans to offer this 1965 example, the second to last 904 built, which was initially sold to Iceland. The car was raced in SCCA in the late 1960s, and the engine went through a few changes during those years and into the present day as well, as the car has been extensively raced. This car will be offered fitted with a 911 engine, along with a correct 1964 Type 587/3 904 engine.

RM Auctions

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1984 Audi Sport Quattro

The early Audi Quattros have arrived as serious collector cars rather than rare pieces prized solely by marque enthusiasts; in January RM will offer a 1984 Audi Sport Quattro at their Scottsdale sale, packing a 302-hp 2.1-liter DOHC 20-valve alloy-block in-line five-cylinder boosted by a turbocharger with Bosch electronic fuel injection. The Sport Quattro was nothing short of a game-changer when it made its debut, once again for Group B racing, and it proceeded to walk the field by accumulating seven victories. The shortened and extensively modified Sport Quattro was capable of sprinting to 60 mph in just 4.8 seconds, with Quattro all-wheel drive providing tremendous confidence and grip. Just 214 Sport Quattros were built for homologation purposes, and the example offered here with 8,300 kilometers, brought in from a collection in Japan, is believed to be among the best remaining.

RM Auctions

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1955 Chrysler C-300 Hardtop Coupe

Chrysler’s letter cars always attract strong collector interest, and thanks to the fact that they were expensive and exclusive when they were new, their survivability rate has been very high. RM Auctions will offer this 1955 Chrysler C-300 Hardtop Coupe finished in Tango Red and powered by a 300-hp OHV Hemi V-8 engine with dual four-barrel carburetors, equipped with a two-speed Powerflite automatic transmission, at their coming Scottsdale sale. This example received a concours-grade restoration and has been featured in a number of magazine articles. Just 1,725 of these were built in 1955 and were instantly recognized for their luxurious interiors and high-powered engines. This 1955 C-300 will be offered at no reserve.

RM Auctions

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1966 Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser

Every high-profile sale now features a Toyota Land Cruiser or four, and RM Auctions will present this 1966 Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser at their Arizona sale. These have slowly made their way out of a closed enthusiast market to a wider audience, and they continue to climb in value as restoration shops lavish more attention upon them. Anyone and everyone with half an FJ40 has been taking their 4x4s to Arizona in January with the hopes of hitting it big. This example was a daily driver in southern California, and in preparation for the auction received a freshening that saw the addition of factory-correct details. Equipped with a three-speed manual transmission, this example is powered by a 125-hp in-line six-cylinder engine, and features with low-range and part-time all-wheel drive. This example has a Spring Green exterior and a Salmon-colored interior, and wears Hercules Trail Digger M/T tires. The FJ will be offered at no reserve.

RM Auctions

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1975 Lamborghini Urraco P111 by Bertone

The Lamborghini Urraco has been overlooked by collectors for many years, but the best examples have always been able to command serious money. The Urraco made its debut at the 1970 Turin Salon with a 2,463cc V-8 engine with four twin-choke Solex 40IDF1 carburetors connected to a five-speed manual transmission, with the car intended to be positioned below the Miura in Lamborghini’s lineup. Fewer than 800 examples would be built between 1973 and 1978, and just 21 would be assembled specifically for the U.S. market. This happens to be one of them, a model dubbed P111, and it has fewer than 39,000 miles on the clock. This particular example is said to have received a cosmetic and mechanical restoration by marque experts Bobileff Motorcar Company which included an engine rebuild. The Urraco continues to be a somewhat niche collectible as it lacks the dramatic looks of the Miura and the Countach — and it’ll always be eclipsed by those two icons — but there is a growing appreciation of these due to their rarity. It’ll be interesting to see what this example fetches now that it’s received a restoration.

RM Auctions

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1941 Chrysler Royal Town and Country Six-Passenger 'Barrelback' Station Wagon

Midcentury woody wagons have been gaining considerable steam lately, and RM will offer this 1941 Chrysler Royal Town and Country Six-Passenger ‘Barrelback’ station wagon at their coming sale. This is a Model C-28, and it’s equipped with a 108-hp L-head in-line six-cylinder engine connected to a four-speed Vacamatic semiautomatic Fluid Drive transmission. Part of the Windsor line of sedans, the Barrelback is neither a sedan nor strictly a wagon. This was the original crossover, and it features clamshell rear doors out back. This was an exclusive car even when new. Just 996 of these were built, out of which just 200 of them in six-passenger configuration. The rest were nine-passenger models. This particular example received a complete restoration in 2006, and it’s said to have “near-perfect” wood panels.

RM Auctions

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1937 Bugatti Type 57C Ventoux

One of the most elegant Bugattis made, and perhaps the archetypal image of a 1930s Bugatti, this Type 57 Ventoux is powered by a 210-hp 3,257cc in-line eight-cylinder engine equipped with a supercharger. The Type 57 oozes prewar coachbuilt elegance, especially in a classic black/maroon color scheme. This particular example is believed to have been used as a factory demonstrator immediately after it was completed, and would settle in Paris after the war. This Type 57 then traveled to the U.S. in the 1950s, residing in the collection of W. Hudson Mills. During a complete restoration some years ago the car received an engine and a data plate from another car, and had been known under a different chassis number for years. That makes it a car with a lot of stories and a lot of famous owners, with the chassis plate issue clearing up just recently due to the efforts of Bugatti marque experts. Collectors of course prefer “no stories” cars, though after an intensive restoration in the U.K. in the 1990s at a cost of approximately $450,000 and an appearance at Pebble has given this Type 57 a certain amount of positive sheen too.

RM Auctions

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1965 Porsche 911 Coupe

The days of early Porsche 911s going for under $100,000 are long gone, and next month RM Auctions will allow the collector market to calibrate Porsche values are headed with several very good examples of the model. Among them, is this very photogenic 1965 example with chassis no. 302474. According to RM Auctions, this 911 was bought new by a U.S. service member stationed in Germany, later coming to the West coast in the 1980s. Porsche specialists at Classic Showcase bought this car and treated it to an extensive cosmetic restoration, while also restoring the mechanicals as needed. The selection of numbers-matching examples such as this one is getting thinner and thinner, it seems, and with its status confirmed by a Porsche Certificate of Authenticity it’ll be interesting to see what “market value” ends up being. In fact, this year’s Scottsdale auction will offer just about every type of high-value collectible Porsche, from a 1955 356 Pre-A to a 1988 Porsche 959. Visit the RM Auctions website for a complete list of lots, and check Autoweek.com for more auction previews ahead of the January action.

1965 Porsche 911 Coupe

The days of early Porsche 911s going for under $100,000 are long gone, and next month RM Auctions will allow the collector market to calibrate Porsche values are headed with several very good examples of the model. Among them, is this very photogenic 1965 example with chassis no. 302474. According to RM Auctions, this 911 was bought new by a U.S. service member stationed in Germany, later coming to the West coast in the 1980s. Porsche specialists at Classic Showcase bought this car and treated it to an extensive cosmetic restoration, while also restoring the mechanicals as needed. The selection of numbers-matching examples such as this one is getting thinner and thinner, it seems, and with its status confirmed by a Porsche Certificate of Authenticity it’ll be interesting to see what “market value” ends up being. In fact, this year’s Scottsdale auction will offer just about every type of high-value collectible Porsche, from a 1955 356 Pre-A to a 1988 Porsche 959. Visit the RM Auctions website for a complete list of lots, and check Autoweek.com for more auction previews ahead of the January action.

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